Feeder bugs (bean weevils)

[James Box]

Has anyone used bean weevils (Callosobruchus maculatas) for feeding to spiderlings/scorplings etc? i'm wondering about nutrition etc.
going to look up black eyed peas as that appears to be their main foodsource and see how nutritious they are.
it seems to me they'd be alot easier to feed then small crickets... and dead easy to keep.

[Tom Forman]

nah haven't tried em but I'd be interested in how easy they are to keep.

You'll have to keep me updated if you start keeping them.

The main worry I had with these insects was getting them out of a pea. I could just see myself taking pea by pea to scoop out one of thees weevils as I heard that is what they do, find a pea each and bury themselves in it.

How are your roaches doing?

[James Box]

ah that's a possible difficulty!! arg!!
mealworms and maggots remain the easiest food for slings, but maggots small enough for very small slings are hard to get in my area, and of course mealworms are huge in comparison.
i'll let you know how i get on with them.

roaches are great, but gonna be ages til i can use any as feeder bugs. the dubia's are the most numerous of the species i have, but i think i have 8 or 9 nymphs, and waiting for the adults to get going.

[Robert Farmer]

I found that bean weevils were too tough for my slings to munch, seems their shells were much too thick for even the most tenacious of slings!

Only thinhg I had which could eat them was small mantids.

You'll not have to coax them outta peas btw they're always out an about running around!

[Tom Forman]

ah thx Rob,

guess it still rules them out.

Thx for reminding me about the mantis, I am checking out auctions atm, hopefully I will be getting a mantis soon.

James, you must have some mantis yourself right? You've got evrything else lol.

[Tom Forman]

bought myself some new zealand praying mantis. Not the most colourful but definetely not a boring one and I got them dirt cheap.
Am tempted to get some more now lol...

[James Box]

nah i don't have any mantids...maybe one day, but they don't live all that long, i don't think.

the bean weevils arrived, and i've put a couple in with an H maculata sling, and another couple with a Salticidae scenicus i caught in the house.

will check hopefully tonight for signs of feeding.

if the adults are too tough for slings, the larvae might be alright, and that i may have to coax out of the peas.

i think they'll be easy to keep. they are active and easy to feed.
the only difficulty is that they can fly, so i'll have to be careful. still easier to grab than crickets, so not giving up yet!

[Tom Forman]

excellent excellent,

my fruit beetle grubs arrived this morning and I am mightily impressed. Will post it on my thread.